(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)Despite official statements and statistics that the rents in Abu Dhabi are settling down residents are still complaining of unreasonable rent increase.
A one-bedroom apartment (not partitioned villa apartments) is considered a miracle at Dh70000 per year. In most of Abu Dhabi's residential areas - Al Reef Al Reem Bandar Hydra Village and much of Abu Dhabi island itself - a studio flat rent starts at Dh70000 while one bedroom is at least Dh90000. "Imagine if you are single and you live on a nurse's salary! It's almost impossible to make ends meet let alone make any savings" complained Oana Albu a Romanian nurse in Abu Dhabi. Albu has been living in Abu Dhabi for the past five years and this September she is relocating for the third time within the city simply because of rent increase. "For the first three years I lived in Muroor area in a one bedroom apartment. The rent was reasonable Dh60000 to Dh70000. The apartment was nice very spacious but parking was a major issue and also the noise. There was no playground for children outside so the kids used to play along the building's corridors" she said. What eventually drove Albu to move out two years ago was the rent increase from Dh70000 to Dh85000 after the five percent rent cap in Abu Dhabi was dropped. She managed to find a one-bedroom apartment for Dh68000 in Al Reef Area on Yas Island. It was a much smaller in space though and she had to invest in wardrobes since the apartment did not have fitted ones. And the fact that the apartment was 40 kilometres away from work. "When I first moved there there were no shops not even a grocery no cafes basically no basic facilities. The apartments themselves are very basic and although they look nice at first glance the quality is not up to the standard. On the upside there is a small community swimming pool and a very nice expat community. I made quite a few European friends in Al Reef" mentioned Albu. But the Dh85000 per year her landlord is asking for now is pushing Albu is search of greener pastures literally. "To be honest I really miss a bit of greenery a small garden so I decided now to look for a two even three bedroom villa with an outdoor space and share it with a friend." Discerning community While the fact remain that rents are on the increase residents now demand good quality clean properties with good community services. Khalifa City A and Mohammed bin Zayed City are still favoured locations for expats on a budget yet more and more families are moving out into 'grade A' buildings even if it means a 50 per cent or more increase in rent. This is especially so with Western expats. "We used to live in a two bedroom flat in Mohammed bin Zayed City. For my husband and I it was okay. There are plenty of shops cafes and malls around but our son hated it because there was nothing really attractive for teenage boys in the area so he felt isolated" said Natasha Lance a South African resident here who moved from London to Abu Dhabi six years ago. "We recently moved to Al Reem and couldn't be happier. The rent is fairly reasonable but the best part is the facilities. We have a swimming pool and gym laundry nice cafes and a supermarket within walking distance. It's also easy access into the city centre and the highway towards Dubai." All these facilities have made Al Reem Island one of the most popular residential areas in Abu Dhabi especially since the rents here have not increased at the same exhorbitant rate as in other areas. According to Property Finder real estate Al Reem along with Khalifa City are the most sought-after communities for renting an apartment or a villa. Last year majority of the people looking for a home in Abu Dhabi 29.9 per cent were searching in Al Reem. The area also has the highest apartment rental growth rate of 12.12 per cent annually.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.